By Jose Kavi

New Delhi, Nov 8, 2025: Mother Eliswa Vakayil, the first Catholic nun in the Kerala Catholic Church history and pioneer of women education in the southern Indian state, was beatified on November 8 at a solemn ceremony in Kochi.

Cardinal Sebastian Francis, a Malaysian prelate with Indian roots and representative of Pope Leo XIV, made the formal proclamation during a service that began at 4:30 pm in the Basilica of Our Lady of Ransom at Vallarpadam, a suburb of Kochi.

The beatification, which took place 112 years after Mother Eliswa’s death, is the third in the four-stage canonization process.

The beatification began with the reading of an apostolic letter on the papal delegate’s declaration. The unveiling of Mother Eliswa’s statue followed, amid hymns of praise. A relic of the nun was placed in the church.

The church bells tolled as the declaration was announced.

While declaring Mother Eliswa Blessed, Cardinal Francis said that the holy, courageous, and steadfast life of faith and love exemplified by Mother Eliswa would continue to inspire generations of believers.

Earlier in the ceremony, Archbishop Joseph Kalathiparambil of Verapoly presented the formal request for her beatification. Apostolic Nuncio to India Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli also conveyed a special message from the Vatican.

Mother Eliswa was declared a Servant of God on March 6, 2008, by Archbishop Daniel Acharuparambil of Verapoly. The Vatican declared her a Venerable on Nov. 8, 2023.

Pope Francis approved the decree to beatify her on April 14, seven days before his death.

As part of the procedure, the Pope had approved a miracle attributed to Mother Eliswa

The archdiocese of Verapoly collected the relics from Mother Eliswa’s tomb in July this year. The relics were later sent to the Vatican for verification.

Mother Eliswa (1831-1913) is credited for empowering women founding India’s first indigenous community for women— the Third Order Discalced Carmelite Congregation (TOCD). The first convent was set up in 1866 at Koonammavu, some 20 km north of Ernakulam.

Mother Eliswa’s daughter, Anna, and her sister Thresia, who shared her charism, were the co-foundresses. Initially, the congregation had members from both the Latin and Syro-Malabar rites.

After 24 years, the congregation split into two, with the Latin branch becoming the Congregation of Teresian Carmelites (CTC) and the Syrian branch the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel (CMC).

“In the 19th century, nobody was thinking about women’s education. The general perception also confined women. So, starting a convent made many girls venture out of their homes. It became a doorway for women’s entry to public and religious life and education,” Sister Sucy Kinattingal, the vice postulator of the canonization process, told reporters.

The canonization process begins at the local level, where the bishop announces a person as a ‘Servant of God.’ Later, a thorough probe examines whether the person lived a heroic life or was a martyr for upholding their faith. The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, further checks the incidents. If verified, the person is declared ‘venerable.’

For non-martyrs, at least one miracle associated with them, occurring after the person’s death, is required for their beatification. After beatification the person is venerated in a limited diocese. If a second miracle is verified, the person is canonized, allowing for universal veneration by the entire Church.

Sister Kinattingal said the Church began its study into Mother Eliswa Vakayil’s contributions as early as 2000. It published books and organized symposiums and seminars on her work. In 2007, the Verapoly archdiocese formally sent a letter to the Vatican with supporting documents to request Mother Eliswa’s beatification.

Father Yesudas Pazhampilly of the Verapoly archdiocese said the miracle attributed to Mother Eliswa involved the healing of a child diagnosed with an incurable issue during the mother’s pregnancy.

Mother Eliswa was born on October 25, 1831, as eldest of eight children born to Thomman and Thanda Vakayil.

She was married at the age of 16 and gave birth to a daughter named Anna. A sudden illness led to her husband’s death when her daughter was 18 months old.

She passed away on July 18, 1911. The Church buried her in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St Joseph in Varapuzha near Kochi. Her mortal remains were later transferred to the tomb chapel, Smruthi Mandhiram, St. Joseph’s Convent, Varapuzha.

The CTC now has 213 convents in 11 provinces and houses in India and overseas. Its members are engaged in the apostolate of prayer, education, moral formation of the youth, running orphanages and old age homes, missionary activities, hospital ministry, women empowerment programs, family apostolate social work and jail ministry.